How Often Do You Get Blood Testing

[Xepa]

Hey everyone! My name is Ronald and I've read a lot of your stories on this forum and they've been very touching, emotional, and eye-opening.

I'm working on a dialysis project right now and am part of a program called Y Combinator. We're looking to see how frequently people get blood tests today, whether it's by people mailing in samples or traveling to a clinic to get it done. We're looking into the possibility of how a portable blood testing device could possibly help people on dialysis.

Any additional commentary in this thread would also be really insightful and much appreciated. We really appreciate your response, and through your insights we'll hopefully find a way to improve quality of care for people on dialysis.

[Simon Dog]

Patients on in-center hemo have an opportunity for a blood draw 3 times a week at treatment, and generally get testing monthly (unless ordered more frequently my the MD, or if an "event" such as blood loss occurs during treatment - for example, not being able to flush the patient's blood back).

Home hemo patients generally send in labs monthly (I send in one batch to the dialysis lab; another to the transplant lab), and draw their own blood at the time of dialysis (ie, no extra punctures required).   If there is a low Hgb reading, or a blood loss event, the clinic may order a more frequent test which just means sending in another sample to the lab.

Home PD patients generally have blood drawn at their monthly clinic visit.

A portable device that would give results acceptable to clinic standards would be nice, but keep in mind there are a lot of things that need to be tested monthly (albumin, HGB, P, K, TiBC are just a few that come to mind), plus the occasional pth test.   It is doubtful a cost effective device could be made to check everything a neph wants to see on a monthly basis.   There are already some special purpose machines (blood glucose; HGB) that give instant answers.   It is doubtful a device would gain traction unless it is as cost effective as the current "send the  blood to a clinic owned/affiliated lab" model, as the  logistics to collect the blood are already in place and do not require extra clinic visits.

Just be careful not to go the route of Theranos.

[Charlie B53]

I just completed my third week on Hemo.  I think they took samples on day one.  Having just started at this clinic I am told they take samples monthly.  Not sure which day that is yet.

I have been on PD for just over 3 1/2 years.  They took samples monthly.

These first few weeks I wanted to have labs weekly so I could see the differences in Dialysis types.  To know if or what any change in my labs were so I could make corresponding changes in my diet, fluids, and if needed, change meds.

I'm still here so I must be doing O.K.

[kristina]

Hello Xepa and many thanks for your kind professionel interest.
... I have my blood-tests taken at "my" dialysis-center once every month and these blood-tests are all mainly dialysis-kidney-related...
... If however, there is some other health-problem "creeping up" like a persistent cold etc., or another check-up on my whatever-level of anything else is needed (I am a vegetarian) etc., I see my GP and they often take a blood-test there to check "things" up.
Best wishes and good luck from Kristina.

[Riki]

I'm on in-center HD now, but I was on PD for most of my dialysis life.  For the last 4.5 years on PD, a nurse would come to my home every 2 weeks to give Aranesp and check my run sheets.  The nurse would also do things like check my vitals, listen to my lungs, and change my dressing so to know what my exit site looked like.  Every six months, the extension tubing on the catheter was also changed.  The nurse took blood every second visit, so it was once a month.  That was regular labs, and transplant labs were taken as well.  I had the reqs for the transplant labs at home with me, so the nurse just had to sign and date them, and they usually brought the reqs for the regular labs with them.  The nurse would take all the samples with them when they left.

[justagirl2325]

It's different in Canada.  My husband's on home hemo and goes to the hospital for one dialysis session every 8 weeks for blood testing.